When should I change my eCommerce platform?

Almost all companies have changed their platform at least once if they have been in eCommerce for a few years; let's say it's a side effect of success.

Undoubtedly, your online store will need a reliable, secure, and scalable platform to make your business grow faster and faster.

If your current platform does not offer the necessary functions, integrations, or technical aspects to meet your growing business needs, you may need to consider a change.

Migration can take several months, and undoubtedly, time will be needed to create strategies, plan, learn, and test before launching the new platform.

When is the best time to do it? Wouldn't it be better to provide support or just an upgrade to your eCommerce platform? Here's an explanation.

6 aspects to consider before changing eCommerce platform

Your eCommerce platform should support your business as it evolves and expands. Before switching eCommerce platforms, it's best to do some research and tasks first. Consider the following aspects to select your new platform.

1. Your business needs and risk factors

Think about the daily operations of your eCommerce business as well as a customer's journey through your website. Make a list of eCommerce platform features that your business cannot do without. What functions are essential for your store and your customers? Does your eCommerce business heavily rely on gift cards or certificates? What about customer segmentation? Migrating to an eCommerce platform that doesn't meet your needs can harm your business in the long run, so think carefully as you make that list.

2. Platform features

What main and secondary features are you looking for in an eCommerce platform?

Payment processing, content management systems, and theme customization are just some of the variables to consider. Your list of needs and exclusion factors will come in handy when reviewing the features of the new eCommerce platform.

3. Platform and Application Integration

What can you add or develop to take your ecommerce business to the next level? Consider an app, shipping tools, or integrations with email service providers, for example.

4. Platform trajectory of the ecommerce

Does that eCommerce platform make an active effort to improve the core features and performance or add integrations to your app regularly?

An upward "platform trajectory" is a good indicator that an eCommerce platform is secure, here to stay, and won't leave you, your store, or your customers hanging. After all, the last thing you want to do is migrate your ecommerce platform again.

5. Platform cost

Plan prices may seem competitive at first glance. But watch out for unexpected charges such as transaction fees or costs for third-party applications that can quickly add up.

6. Brand values

Values and philosophies are important; ultimately, you want an eCommerce platform that you can trust. Take a look at the platform's blog, social media profiles, case studies, or reviews to see if their values and priorities align with you and your business.

Questions you should ask yourself before switching to a new eCommerce platform.

• Do traffic spikes affect uptime or service speed?

• Has your platform's security failed during critical moments?

• How often do you hear or say "We can't do that"?

• Are patches and workarounds common (fixing this breaks that)?

• Is your team spending time and energy maintaining rather than innovating?

• Do you have the freedom to launch new products, projects, and experiments?

• Are new features and applications regularly delayed due to internal or agency limitations?

Are support inquiries, social media comments, or email complaints dominated by questions or complaints about functionality?

Your engineers, designers, marketers, and support staff are the ones who know best if it's time to switch platforms. If your staff is being hindered by frustrations caused by the software, your customers and your business will also suffer.

What if the investment to switch to a new eCommerce platform turns out to be a failure?

Leaving behind a considerable investment you made in another platform one or two years ago is not comfortable at all. But what happens when you think about the features on your site that are not enabled and are hindering further business growth?

If your current platform is not innovating, then each new upgrade will cost you more. Ask yourself if it's worth investing that money now, knowing that software as a service (SaaS) based platforms have hundreds of developers building industry-leading technology on your behalf and keeping your eCommerce site up-to-date with the latest technological changes, or spend more for endless upgrades of your current platform.

If the ROI is keeping you up at night, you can always talk to the manufacturer of the new platform and explain what you specifically need to move forward. Every sales transaction comes down to trust. Share your concerns about ROI, constant upgrades, or frustrations you have with your current eCommerce platform.

When is the best time to switch eCommerce platforms?

In general, the best time to switch to a new eCommerce platform is when your current platform is limiting your ability to increase sales for your business.

Ideally, you should stay on your current platform for as long as possible to maximize your initial investment in developing your online store. There is no "perfect" time to switch platforms, as it depends on the needs of your business.

However, if your platform is consistently experiencing downtime, your site is slow, and your team is investing too many resources in maintaining or renovating your online store, then it may be the ideal time to consider a platform migration.

What alternatives do I have besides changing my eCommerce platform?

As mentioned before, switching to a new eCommerce platform takes months of work and many financial resources, so many companies might consider platform migration as a last resort.

One option could be to stay on your current eCommerce platform for several more years and maintain it. However, the digital market continues to grow, your competitors are improving their online stores every day, and customers demand better digital experiences. If you don't do something, you could be left behind.

Another option would be to transition your eCommerce to a Composable Commerce architecture.

Composable Commerce is a software development approach that involves selecting the best eCommerce technologies and unifying them into a single, customized application.

Composable Commerce proposes that the software architecture of your eCommerce can be more like a puzzle, where you can integrate different best-in-class specialized technologies into your eCommerce through APIs. This way, if you don't like the functionality or performance of one part of your eCommerce, you can replace it with better technology.

Therefore, you could consider transitioning to this architecture if your eCommerce platform is limiting the growth of your online store.